CD holders having no moving parts and in the form of vertical towers or horizontal cabinets are known. But when a large quantity of CDs is stored, it can be difficult to display and select a desired CD, especially if the desired CD is stored in the lower portion of a vertical tower.
Applicants' parent application disclosed a motorized modular CD storage device or rack that could store a great many CDs or the like in a rotatable rack that could be rotated until the desired CD was displayed, at which time rotation could be stopped and the desired CD removed from the rack.
Notwithstanding that the disclosed rack could store a great many CDs or other objects and has met with great consumer success, there is a need for a rack with at least double the storage of the disclosed rack. Further, since CDs are often used in an environment with subdued ambient lighting, there is a need for a CD rack that can illuminate CDs retained by the rack, for ease of selection in such an environment. There is a need to promote ease of such of use of such racks, enlarged or otherwise, by providing an option for foot-operable variable speed, and stop and go operation of the rack. Finally, enlarging the holding capacity of such racks typically requires a larger base, for reasons of stability. However enlarging the base can require a larger carton in which to ship such racks, thus adding to the overall cost of bringing the product to the marketplace. Thus, there is a need for base mechanism that provides the requisite stability for a rack yet does not require a larger shipping carton. Further. such rack should provide an option to automatically cease rotation upon scan code recognition of a CD or other retained object, or upon voice command from a user. Finally, it is preferred that such rack have the ability to be electronically daisy-chained to other such racks.
The present invention provides such racks.